Half-Assed Reality
by MaskedBlackCat
Summary: This story takes on the view of Subtract, Add's younger, but non-existent, brother. Given the name, Subject-1020, he never knew his real parents or what his older brother was like. Just another experiment within the Laboratory with a repulsive view on the world. When it's time to finally escape, he finds that the outside is both undeniably cruel and at the same time, his only hope.
1. Child of Jaundice

_This world is meaningless and nonsensical. The only way to save it is to destroy it. This fake world filled with maggots infesting its soil and blood coursing through its veins. All of it doesn't matter._

_I never knew the outside world and what lay beyond these white walls. What caused me to be here in this place, though, is something I knew really well. I hate the world for it, for bringing me to this place. If only, there weren't the wars that forsake this land…if only…_

"What is forty four subtracted from ten thousand?"

"N-nine…thousand a-and nine hundred and f-f-fifty six…"

"What is the genes in DNA and RNA?"

"A-adenine…thymine…gu-guanine…cytosine…ura…cil…"

"What is the first ten elements?"

"Hydrogen…he-helium…lithium, b-beryllium…boron…car-carbon…nitrogen…o-oxygen…fluorine…and…and…"

"What's wrong? You forgot the last element. Raise the Nasod Electricity Output by 20%."

"Please, no! Please don't do that! I'll do anything, just please don't raise the Output!"

The loud whirring of machinery deafened out my screams, bring bouts of extreme pain. _This world is meaningless and filled with pain._

"Let's continue. What's forty five subtracted from nine thousand and nine hundred and fifty six?"

_What is the meaning of this world? Why was that never a question?_

"Who is that child sitting over there? Another experiment?" asked a scientist. Two scientists were walking down the hallway with clipboards in their hands. The young scientist who had asked stopped and frowned at the unresponsive child leaning against a wall.

The child was staring down at his feet with a blank look on his face. The young scientist grimaced at the stitches on the child's body. Faint dissection lines could be seen on his body as he wore nothing but a t-shirt and shorts.

"Oh, him? He's another Subject in the Nasod-Human Experimentation. It's best not to get involved with Experiments like him," answered the older scientist.

The child slowly raised his head as he stared at the young scientist. His dead blue eyes looked directly at the young scientist's, not dropping the gaze.

"Just ignore him. Come on, I'll take you to your administrator so that you can start working," said the older scientist, tapping his junior's shoulder. The young scientist managed to rip his gaze away from the child's stare, but the glazed expression remained in his head.

"This world is meaningless, don't you agree?" were the seven words that came out of the child's mouth. The young scientist looked back, puzzled at the question. The child was already gone, leaving him with the unnerving question.

The young scientist went by the name, Karl Regios, and he soon became the Caretaker of the Experiment Subject he saw in the hallway. A Caretaker in this laboratory had the job of administering daily care and medicine. They were also given a separate job to work on other human subjects as Support Surgeon or Report Writers. It was an easy job for any newcomers, or so Karl hoped.

His first day consisted of replacing the child's painkiller IV drip package, bringing food trays, changing his bandages and giving social therapy. Karl had asked the Administrators if the Subject needed any educational lessons, but they nodded their heads and concluded the matter with the statement, "He is already receiving education by experimental methods."

The young scientist pulled along a tray filled with necessary equipments to the room he was designated to. He had left it outside and picked up the two IV drip bags. Karl entered the Subject's room, briefling checking the code plate on the door.

"Subject-1020, Nasod-Human Experiment Number 2."

The room he had entered was small and enclosed. There were no windows to let in natural light, just the cold white light on the high ceiling. A rack bed was attached to the wall with a white mattress and neatly made bedsheet, next to it was a pull out table with a food tray on it. The food was left untouched. By the pull out table was a white chair.

Subject-1020 wasn't on the bed, but instead, he was sitting in a corner curled up in a ball. He was resting his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling with soulless eyes. What was attached to his arm was an IV drip, pumping painkillers and clear liquids in. The packages were nearly empty so it was time for Karl to replace it.

"Hi, I'm Karl Regios, your new Caretaker," stated Karl. The Subject didn't respond.

"Um, I'm going to change your IV drip backs now, ok?"

The subject didn't respond.

Karl went over the IV stand and detached the two packages from the rack. He swiftly replaced the bags and the tubes. Next, was the food tray on the pull out table. He went out to fetch the new food tray with package food and changed the old tray with the new one.

The Subject stayed unresponsive as Karl replaced his bandages, although he did move to allow Karl to change his bandages easier. Karl assumed that he was used to these daily methods and according to the scars on his skin, he had been a Subject for a long time.

"We are going to begin social therapy now, is that alright?" asked Karl, sitting himself down on the chair. The Subject remained unresponsive. Karl just sighed and brought out his clipboard, containing questions and empty boxes. He clicked his pen and began to ask questions.

The Subject did not respond to any of the questions and remained silent. Karl was beginning to get sick of the unresponsive nature of the Subject and put down the clipboard.

"Subject-1020, I won't be able to help you if you don't answer the questions," said Karl.

The Subject looked at Karl, which indicated as a reaction.

"You didn't answer my question," replied the Subject.

"Oh, that…" said Karl. "Um, I'm not completely sure what was meant by that question…"

"Then I'm not inclined to answer your questions." The Subject went back to staring at the ceiling, ignoring any further interactions.

Karl had went to the cafeteria to grab his brunch and one of his friends had asked him what was wrong. He told them about the first job he got.

"Subject-1020, huh? He did ask you '_that_' question, right?" asked his friend.

"That's the one he always ask! Whenever someone is appointed as his Caretaker, he'll always ask that question. It gets on people's nerves so he frequently gets Caretaker replacements," explained another.

"He'll only ask it twice. If you want to understand it, you should probably oversee his Experimentation Sessions. As a caretaker, you can watch over both his physical and mental state," suggested another.

"That might be a good idea," replied Karl.

**A/N: ^^...Hello! Thank you for reading le first chapter! Please, review/follow/favourite, if you liked this chapter/story so far.**

**(Note for No Turning Back: If you've read my first work, it's still currently on hiatus until I've gained interest on working on it again...sorry. 0-0 The update rate on this fanfiction will be pretty slow since I just began writ-*cough**cough*-typing it. Weekly updates are out of my reach T^T)~**


	2. Cruel Normalcy

**WARNING (Please read): This following chapter will contain gore. For those who cannot stand gore well, prepare for the scene that will unfold later. Other than that, pwease enjoy~!**

Subject-1020 was in the same spot as he always was in, the corner. He was no longer looking at the ceiling, but had his head buried in his arms.

"I'm really…getting tired of this," he muttered. He raised his head a little and observed his right arm. Whenever he made a movement with that arm, it made a robotic noise. Whenever he made a sweep with his right hand, traces of holographic particles followed. The Nasod-Human Experimentation Project. The aim was to fuse the human body with Nasod implants. The overall purpose? To make two ultimate weapons for the ongoing war.

The Experimentation Project consisted of two Subjects who were related by blood. Both were raised up differently and both had different talents. One had parental care, one didn't. One was given a name, one wasn't. They were both brothers, one older and one younger.

Subject-1020 was the younger one and he had only seen his older sibling once or twice every occasion. They had never talked to each other or officially met each other, but they were both facing the same experiments. From what he knew, the Nasod-Human Experiment was successfully working on the older one. If one had to say, Subject-1020 was a failure in certain levels.

The only Nasod part he had was his right arm. Any other parts of his body would reject it due to his capacity for magic, not Nasod Synchronisation. The one reason he wasn't discarded was because of his right arm. He was able to eject Mana through it and use other Nasod equipments with it, although not as effectively. However, his capacity for Nasod Synchronisation had been increasing over the past few experiments.

Subject-1020 swiped the air a few times before spotting an unfamiliar symbol.

"Analyse: Symbol, Origin: Unknown, Begin: Diagnosis," commanded Subject-1020. His right arm made whirring sounds before seizing the fading symbol. His right arm didn't have any fake skin grafted onto it, so you could spot the mechanic parts on it.

"Diagnosis process has begun, now analysing 'unknown symbol'. Analysation complete, now clearing Safety Protocols. Safety has detected no danger in the symbol and is scanning for its purpose. Its purpose has been left undefined due to too many unknown variables. System will save symbol in storage. Status: Cannot be deleted."

"Subject-1020, Nasod-Human Experimentation Number 2, exit your room and follow your designated Scientist's orders," announced an emotionless voice. He looked up at the announcement box and gazed at the door, trembling at the familiar voice that called out.

"Subject-1020! It's time to go play again!" called out a mocking voice. He started to hyperventilate, but held in his rushed breaths. He hauled himself off the ground and walked towards the door where the Doctor was waiting.

The familiar dark room's door opened agape as Subject-1020 was pushed inside. The Experimentation Table awaited him and the daily torture was about to begin once again.

The Experimentation Session started off with a scan, which was mandatory for all Subjects.

"Hoh hoh…Subject-1020, it seems I'll be able to attach new things to you. I don't know what changes your body as undergone, but this is such an unexpected development," mused the Doctor. "Aren't you glad? Let's start the Experimentation! The faster, the better."

Just as the Doctor was reaching for a scalpel, the door on the Observation Room had opened to reveal Karl. He closed the door behind him and went to sit by the shaded window. In an instant, Karl didn't like what he was seeing. The Subject that he was taking care of was strapped to a table with a Scientist marking dissection lines on him. Instead of seeing the indifferent expression on Subject 1020's face, it was replaced by an expression of utter horror. His hands and feet continuously wrestled against their restraints. The Scientist didn't seem to be paying attention to that.

"We'll see if we can replace the heart with the Nasod replacement today. Don't worry, I have brought along my trusty Stasis today, so you won't be fainting at all!" said the Doctor in a sing-song voice. He flipped the switch under the table, causing a white light to glow around Subject-1020.

Karl knew what horrific things went on in this Laboratory, but he still signed up for it nonetheless. This Laboratory gave a ridiculous amount of income to its Scientists and other benefits. It would've been easy to write Karl off as just another monster who'd hurt others just for money, but he had reasons. He had his little sister waiting for him at home, sick and feeble. An incurable disease had struck her unable to move. The only treatment to prolong her life was to undergo expensive treatment procedures.

Holding his precious sister in mind, he chose to sign up for a job that required Scientific and Mathematic Degrees. He was prepared for what awaited him in the Laboratory, yet…now he knew that that was a lie.

Screams of agony richochetted off the walls, becoming stronger with each echo. Blood soon replaced the plainness of the table's surface, spilling down to the ground in ridiculous amounts. The restraints were somehow holding against the immense struggling Subject-1020 was giving. His chest had been opened up and his beating heart was being torned out.

Karl looked away at the gory scene in front of him. He couldn't hold in the vomit and puked all over the floor. Dizziness overwhelmed his mind as he fainted. When he came to, the screaming had stopped but was replaced with an insistent whimpering. He willed himself to look out the window again, wiping the vomit off his face with his sleeve.

"Now that wasn't too bad, right? All those things I've teached you have kept you conscious as well! You were able to answer each questions correctly," complimented the Doctor. "However, this Session hasn't ended yet. It's a miracle that your heart didn't give out and the new Nasod replacement has successfully synched. You weren't able to do this before, I wonder what's changed? Oh well, that doesn't matter, right? I'll take this chance to attach as many Nasod parts as I can to you. The Administrators won't need to know, right? You can keep it a secret, right?"

The Doctor, Karl noticed, was slightly off. He peered at the Doctor's face and recognised it. The Doctor, real name is Johnson Smile, was assigned to be a Scientist in the Laboratory since the beginning of its creation. He was known for his mental instability and merciless experimentation methods, which mostly turned out to be successful. Karl felt like puking again, seeing an insane man experiment on a child that would be the same age as his younger sister, who was much younger still.

The Doctor traced his finger around Subject-1020's left eye.

"You know what I always wanted to do? I always wanted to experiment with the eye organs, but the Administrators never had let me. They said it was too dangerous for a man of my caliber. Hear that? They said I was too unstable for such surgery! Foolish, foolish, foolish! I will prove to them how great I am and you will be my proof, yes? You agree, I'm glad," sang the Doctor. "Then, let's begin the next experimentation!"

The Doctor leaned down to Subject-1020's face, grabbing a smaller scalpel from the table next to him. In an instant move, he stabbed the scalpel into the edge of the child's eye. The screaming had started up again. A deafening howl of pain. The Doctor's fingers became slippery with the eye, which was out of its socket. The small optic nerves tugged at its insides, disallowing the eye from fully becoming detached.

"Tch, such a troublesome thing~" The Doctor tightened his grip and yanked the eye out of its place completely. Subject-1020 let out an unforgettable scream. The scene of watching someone's eyeball being pulled out burnt itself into Karl's mind.

A robotic eye was immediately pressed into the empty socket, attaching itself to the severed optic nerves.

"Ah, you see? It ended quite nicely, did it not? Hahaha…the Session has finished! It's quite sad that it ended so fast, no? Don't worry, next time will be much longer," said the Doctor. Subject-1020 was still yelling in pain and it continued to echo until Karl left the room.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading le second chapter! Please favourite/follow/review, it'll help a lot!**

**(Response to previous reviews, also thanks for follow~)**

**tricksterflame: I'm glad that you like my fanfiction! 0^0 I hope you'll continue to read Half-Assed Reality, more chapters comin' out!**

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	3. The Answer You Seek

Karl arrived at Subject-1020's room with a tray filled with the same things from yesterday; new IV drip bags, new bandages, new tray of food and new clipboards.

He entered the room to see Subject-1020 lying against the wall like a broken doll. He was looking down with one eyepatched eye and one emotionless one. Karl didn't say anything this time and replaced the child's IV drip bags, bandages and food tray.

He asked the questions that were printed out on the paper and never gained a single response for each of them. Instead of leaving the room, he pulled the chair towards himself and sat on it.

"That question you asked earlier…about the world being meaningless," began Karl. Subject-1020 slightly raised his head. "I don't think it's meaningless."

"Why?" questioned Subject-1020.

"Because happiness exists," answered Karl shortly.

"I don't think such a thing exists. The only thing in this world is hatred and sorrow. Isn't that why you joined this Laboratory? To create new weapons for the war outside?"

"No…I joined this job for someone else's sake."

Subject-1020 frowned at the reply.

"I have a little sister waiting for me at home and she is, to me, proof that happiness exists."

"Then, why aren't you with her at this moment? You're wasting your time here where adults like you don't care about the life they tamper with."

"My little sister doesn't have long to live. She suffers from a disease that can't be cured, so I came here to search for any possibilities to prolong her life. I needed the money offered here to pay for the temporary treatments for her. It's true that the people that work here don't show a shred of care for the lives they experiment with every day. I knew that…I came prepared, or at least I thought I had."

Subject-1020 remained silent.

"I didn't know that children your age were being experimented on. When I saw your Experimentation Session today, I…couldn't bare the sight in front of me. You're a couple years younger than my sister, yet you're faced with an unfair life with no escape. I understand how hopeless this world can be."

"If you can't even deal with one Session, then your career as a Scientist and a Caretaker will be over in a blink. Even if you saw my Session, you still don't understand how hopeless this world really is. You don't understand anything."

"Maybe I don't understand a thing at all because I was raised with love. My sister and I used to be taken care of parents who'd do anything for their children, but the war…took them away. I was left behind to care for my sister with almost no chance of survival."

Subject-1020 was silent again.

"But this Laboratory offered choices that this world couldn't provide. A chance for me to protect what my parents couldn't. Even if this world crumbles, I will still continue to protect her until the day I die."

Just as he said that, the floor beneath him shook violently. He could hear screaming down the hallway as the light in the room started to flicker. Explosions could be heard in the distance along with orders being shouted.

Subject-1020 stood up and detached the IV drips from his arm. He ripped the eyepatch from his head and discarded it onto the floor, revealing a slightly pale version of his left eye.

"Then, run away from this war with her," he said. "I still don't understand the meaning of happiness and the meaning of this worthless world, but I'll continue living. There'd be no answers in dying after all."

"Wait, where are you going?!" asked Karl.

"Away from here, where I've always wanted," responded Subject-1020. He walked outside of the room and followed the crowd that ran in front of him. He didn't know where the exit was, so they were his best chance at escaping. _Anywhere is better than here._

**A/N: Aaaaaaand that's the end of the chapter~ I'm sorry that's really shorter than the last two chapters, but the next few chapters will be longer. Please review/favourite/follow, it'll help out a lot owo! Share this fanfic, too!**

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	4. The Outside Reality

When Subject-1020 had reached the outside, he imagined it to be different in a way it was better. What awaited him outside, though, was fire and destruction. His eyes were widened at the world that stretched out before him. People were getting killed, blood painted the ground in a crimson red, death raged the surroundings like a conqueror and the sound of children screaming were ringing in his ears.

He walked aimlessly, ignoring the corpses that laid near his feet. He was used to the sight of corpses, but these ones had died brutally. Heads were split open, eyes were gouged out, guts were spilling out, bones were poking out and expressions of terror were forever engraved on them.

A familiar scream reached his ears and he snapped his attention to the owner of the scream. A white-haired woman. He immediately recognised who it was. It was his mother. He never talked with her, met her, or even went near her. Unlike his older brother, he was raised without parental love. He didn't feel angry, or maybe he used to be.

Right now, all he could do was stand there while watching the woman he knew as 'mother' get chopped down by the big man ahead of her. His 'father' was also dealt with the same fate.

The boy that was behind the two was crying in complete despair. He recognised him also, Subject-1010, Nasod-Human Experiment Number 1.

Subject-1020 couldn't comprehend the gaping hole he felt in his chest. Emotions of anguish, sorrow and regret twisted his already unstable mind further. The emotionless façade that protected his fragile mind unravelled itself. As if to mock him, a long forgotten and unbelievably naïve memory flashed itself.

_"They keep on saying that mummy and daddy don't love me…I don't believe them! When I escape, I'm going to go back to my parents and they're going to tell me it's alright!"_

How long had that foolish dream been forgotten for? Two years? Four years? Maybe more than that?

"No, no, no," he whimpered, covering his face. "I never met them…why would I think that? Why?"

"Huh? A child?"

Subject-1020 looked up to see a man carrying an axe.

"The leader said to grab any child who seems fit enough. You look like I could snap you in half with my bare hands…hmph. Oh well, like it fucking matters."

The child was whacked in the head, rendering him to the darkness.

When Subject-1020 had woken up, he found himself in a dirty and mouldy cage. His white clothes were torn and filthy. There was a sort of numb feeling within his mind as if yesterday faded away way too quickly.

He wasn't alone in the cage as a boy sat in the corner opposite to him. It was Subject-1010. He was awake, but looked unresponsive.

This was the first time that Subject-1020 was less than a metre away from his older sibling. He wasn't certain of what to feel. Anger? Jealousy? Sadness? Empathy? Anything at all?

"Hello," greeted Subject-1020. His brother looked up to meet the eyes of his younger brother.

"You're finally awake?" he asked.

"How long have I been out for? Where are we?" responded Subject-1020.

"Just…just three days, I think. We're in a Slave Trader Camp, I don't know where exactly."

"What's your name?"

"Add. What's yours?"

"I don't have a name. Unlike you, I was given no name."

"Then, I'll give you a name."

Subject-1020 frowned. A name?

"Since you're my younger brother and was raised up differently than me. I'll call you, Subtract, the opposite of my name."

"Subtract…doesn't sound too bad. Anyways, do you intend to stay here?"

"No, I'm not going to stay here. I'm finally outside, but…mum isn't here."

The word was foreign to Subtract. To have a mother, what was it like? If he was going to start asking questions, he might as well do it now.

"What is it like? To have a mother? Was it nice? Was it warm? Was her hugs warm? Did she ever call you sweety? Little baby? Did she ever feed you? Take care of you? Be there for you?"

Add didn't answer the questions, remaining quiet. Instead, he stood up with a resolved look on his face.

"I'm going to get out of here anyway. Do you want to escape with me?" he asked, reaching out his hand to Subtract. Subtract's eyes widened at the outreached hand and slowly took his hand.

"There isn't any point in being here anyway," answered Subtract. "I'll go with you."

"I've already devised a plan while you were knocked out. The guards here occasionally open the cage door to replaced the feed and drink bowls. We can take that opportunity to escape," he explained. "Have you went through the Combat Experiments?"

"Not really, they said I wasn't qualified for it…"

"Then, just follow my lead. We have to get out of here."

The shrill of the bell alarm rang throughout the grounds. Guards were rushing about and orders were being yelled out. It was a moonless night which was a perfect time to escape. Orange light glowed over the grounds as two figures escaped the camp.

They effortlessly climbed over the barbwire, using the clothes of the guard they knocked out to grip the wire. Subtract followed Add closely as he had told him to.

"Add, they're carrying guns!" warned Subtract. He could feel his lungs about to give out, but his new heart allowed him to endure the breathlessness.

"They won't shoot unless they're ordered to! Just run as fast as you can!" responded Add.

"Stop, you brats! We'll fucking shoot you dead if you don't!" yelled the guards.

"Into the forest!" instructed Add. They both fled into the forest and could barely see the trees in front of them. The light coming from the torch-carrying guards behind them only allowed them limited visibility. There was no end to the forest path ahead of them and they couldn't see the ground completely at all.

"Wah!" yelped Subtract, his foot caught by a thorny branch. Its thorns had neatly lodged itself into the flesh of his leg, bleeding his flesh heavily. He looked behind him to see the guards dangerously catching up with smirks on their faces. He turned his head forward to see Add running away. He wasn't even looking back to check, he was running as if he didn't hear the screams of his younger brother.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" Subtract called out with his right arm outstretched. Tears were blurring his vision until he could only see darkness and the sound of laughter rang inside his ears.

"We've got the younger brother! You guys chase after the other one!" roared out one of the guards. The guard's face was covered, except his eyes. He glared hatefully at Subtract. "You snivelling little brat, did you think you could escape? Haha, no fucking matter, we'll teach you what we do to naughty kids like you."

**A/N: And that ends Chapter 4! If you liked it, please review/favourite/follow! Share this fanfic if you want~!**

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	5. What's Been Done

Subtract was taken back to the slave camp where he was brutally tortured as punishment. His legs were crippled and numerous scars replaced the older ones.

Five days had passed and the tortures intensified with each day. His legs' bones were entirely broken and shattered. He was subjected to psychological tortures and was driven slowly to insanity. He only had a small grip on rationality due to the Nasod components in his head.

He was left in the corner of the torture room, rambling about numbers and DNA sequences. He picked at the scabs that formed on his arms, letting it bleed slightly. A morbid entertainment to keep the brain functioning. Occasional sparks flew out of his right arm, wires poking out like spikes.

"Sensitive repair…needed…required? Necessary? Adenine…nine thousand and nine hundred and fifty-six…torture? Torture? Meaning? Definition? Question…betrayal? Traitor? Who's the traitor? Hahaha…is it me? No, is it me? I don't remember anymore, I'm tired…I'm tired…I'm tired…" he rambled. "I don't want this…can't escape…anymore?"

The sound of a cage door creaking opening could be heard, two overgrown men entered the room. They carried chains in their hands and unpleasant grinning on their faces. It was as if those grins were stuck to their faces like a clown's mask.

"No, no, no, no, no, NO!" screamed Subtract. "I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to!"

The torturers only smiled in response, fingers itching for the feel of blood and agony. The sixth day of torture.

They stepped closer with their clangy boots, giggling in delight of their shivering victim. Just as they took one more step towards Subtract, he immediately screamed louder and covered his eyes.

He felt his voice cut short along with the clank of the torturers' boots. Music could be heard ringing around him and when he looked, he was sitting on a transparent cube with glowing blue markings on it. There were floating dark cubes everywhere, gradually opening to reveal dark light. A dark moon could be seen in the distance.

"Hoh…I've never met someone who could access Henir without the help of a Gate. Who are you, may I ask?" asked someone.

Subtract raised his head to see a masked person in front of him, wearing a black coat. Golden triangular locks were attached to the chains around the person's neck like a necklace. He could spot one yellow eye through one of the mask's eye holes, the other remained empty and dark.

"Who am…I? Question…answer…am I supposed to answer? I don't understand, haha…" mumbled Subtract.

"It looks like you've lost your mind, child. Oh well, that doesn't matter, I'm interested in your ability to warp to Henir's Time and Space. So I'll welcome and raise you," said the person. "I go by the name, Glaive. Keke, I hope you are prepared."

***8 years later***

"How is your battle and mental condition today?" asked Glaive. An older Subtract exited a Time Gate, pausing to see Glaive sitting in a chair.

"They're fine. Can you stop asking that question? It's getting…annoying," responded Subtract.

"What? Keke, I think it's fair of me to worry since I am your guardian. As a guardian, I am responsible for your health and mental well-being. You have been under my custody for the past few years in mental rehab, training and growth care," said Glaive, chuckling.

Subtract narrowed his eyes at Glaive and checked his Nasod Gear. Over the past eight years, or so Subtract presumed, he had built the six Nasod Operators from the worlds Glaive could access and learnt to build them from his libraries. Even the Administrator of all Time and Space has to have a pastime, yes?

Subtract eyed the Screen Glaive was watching. His 'guardian' had a habit of watching people whilst taking them into Henir's Time and Space. _Great, he's going to send in more people to play with?_

"What are you watching?" he asked.

"Hmm? Just a group of mortals that I've been interested in for a while, care to see?" responded Glaive. Subtract drew closer to the Screen and saw the group Glaive was talking about. There was a red-haired boy, a long-haired elf, a purple-clad girl, a white-haired girl and a person with a mechanical arm. They looked ordinary to Subtract, but he saw someone watching from behind the trees.

"Can you zoom in there?" Subtract pointed. Glaive double-tapped the area Subtract had pointed to, revealing another white-haired individual.

Subtract's eyes widened in shock as he recognised who it was.

"It c-can't be…" he muttered.

"Keke, do you happen to know who this individual is?" asked Glaive. Subtract smirked in response, clenching his fists tightly.

"Someone I've been waiting to meet," he replied.

"Hoh…and why is that?"

"Didn't I tell you that the reason I accepted your 'training' was to become strong enough for someone?"

"You did. So, is this person your older brother?"

"He is my older brother. I haven't seen him in so long, but I knew the time would come…the time when I kill him with my own two hands."

"Keke, so you're finally leaving Henir's Time and Space, then? Let me just notify you that this scene is a flashback that I captured, meaning that this Time isn't current. I gathered this Time one year ago so if you go right now, so he might look a little different. I'll input his Map Data Trace within your database."

"That's no problem for me, nothing will stop me from my goal," said Subtract as he opened up a Time Gate.

"Before you go, though, I have only one condition."

Subtract turned his head to see Glaive standing up.

"Don't use 'that' Mode. The last time you did, you nearly died because of the limitations of your impaired Nasod heart. Since you are leaving my care, your Nasod heart's ruination time will continue with no means of maintenance. Do you understand the risk, Subtract?"

"You know better than to underestimate me, Glaive, and don't tell me what to do. I'll use 'that' mode if he appears stronger than I think, even at the cost of my own life," finished Subtract as he exited through the Gate.

"Hmph, what a troublesome kid," said Glaive.

**A/N: And that's le end of le fifth chapter~! If you liked it, please review/favourite/follow! If you can, share this fanfic, too~!**

**Replies to le reviews owo~**

**Kamichi77: :D I'm glad you love this story, thank ye very much! **

**Guest (who's Review doesn't show up for some reason :\): That's not a horrible impression =w= I just love putting some form of gore. Aaand surprise, surprise, Subtract's still alive eue.**

**And thanks to xCyrusx for following this fanfic owo.**


	6. Hunt Intiation

The place he had arrived at was somewhat unexpected. He was in a desolate looking area with strange black metallic platforms and overgrown moss that seemed to be sentient. He could feel something buzzing underneath his feet, like a heavy engine of some sort.

"This is strange, it's different from the Screen Glaive was watching from…did he tweak my teleport area?" questioned Subtract. "Nonetheless, since that Screen's a year-old recording, this must be a more recent time period."

There was a faint beeping noise emanating from behind him, clunking noisily.

"If you're going to sneak up on me, you might as well be fucking sneaky about it," growled Subtract as he turned around. Out of the mossy piles, red lights could be spotted underneath the darkness. Subtract narrowed his eyes, seeing mechanical arms crawl out of the ground. "Are you freaking kidding me…Nasod?"

Nasod Scouts, Miners and Gardeners started to reboot their infected systems. The moss that grew on the Nasods contained a strain of spores and were buzzing slightly. Subtract recognised the spores as Alterasia Spores, which were created by the toxic plant, Alterasia.

"No matter, I'll just get rid of you trash here and now. Operator, Force Mode, activate," ordered Subtract. The air around him pulsated at a small scale and dark particles began to radiate from his body.

The first one to attack Subtract was a corrupt Nasod Miner, jabbing its drill forth. Subtract only remained still and saw the Miner in the corner of his eye.

"Force Command – Motion Blocker."

In a blink, a shield of hexagonal black and blue appeared to the side of Subtract. The drill had completely stopped in motion and its drilling silenced.

"Motion Blocker, repulse."

With a single command, the Nasod Miner was violently pushed backwards by the shield's external force. It smashed into the wall of a rock, shattering into pieces. That seemed to set off the other corrupted Nasods into motion as they attacked at once.

"Diverse Force Command – Dome Motion Blocker, setting: Repulsation."

Subtract's shield extended around him in a dome shape. The corrupted Nasods all clashed into the shield and met the same fate as the first attacker.

"What a useless distraction," commented Subtract as he retracted the shield. "Operator, pull up the Screen Map and input the Map Data Trace Glaive gave me."

One of his Operators obeyed and opened up, projecting a holographic map. The name Graveyard of Purification was tagged over the place Subtract was in. He pinched the map, zooming further out to see that he was on a floating island with the given name, 'Altera'. Nearby was a village located in an underground mine, simply named, 'Altera Village'. There were faint traces leading into it, labelled, 'Add's trail'. Subtract traced the trail, seeing that it went off the map entirely.

"I'm going to have to secure an air transport…first, I'll find this village and dig for information," said Subtract. He continued walking, following the overgrown pathways that lead to the black platforms. He effortlessly jumped over them with the help of his Operators.

Facing the entrance of the village, he walked inside to hear clanking and hissing sounds. He recognised them as machinery sounds. Creatures who were smaller than his height were hurrying around, carrying pickaxes and wearing miner's helmet. Massive cogs were rotating in the distance with the occasional appearance of a dead Engineer.

He went up to one of the strange bipedal creatures who looked old.

"Hello, do you recognise this person?" asked Subtract, as he had one of his Operators pull up a picture of Add.

The creature reacted a little slow towards the question and looked at him before answering, "Hmm? I don't think I recognise this person, but I might know who can help you pong. What is your name by the way pong? You are new to this village, are you not pong?"

"I'm Subtract, this person's younger brother. I'm looking for him," he answered.

"I see, that is quite a situation you are in pong. I am Adel, the Chief of Altera Village, and I will do my best to help you find your brother pong," said Adel.

"I'm just looking for a means of transport to go to a place called, 'Feita'. I've…heard rumours that he might be there. Do you have any airships that I could borrow?" requested Subtract.

"An a-airship pong? Us Ponggos don't have any airships in our possession, but I do know of a certain group that uses an airship pong. The captain of the airship has long left it so its crew still remains there, maintaining the airship pong. However, I don't think it would be wise to try to use that airship, the crew there is still hostile to outsiders pong," answered Adel.

"That's no problem, I have my own means of protecting myself. Can you point me in the direction of this airship?" pressed Subtract.

"Very well, Subtract, but do watch out for your own safety pong."

Adel gave Subtract a map of where to go, telling him once again to take care. Subtract set out to find the airship, which honestly wasn't very far.

An airship laid near a forest where Black Crow fighers could be seen roaming about.

"Operator, Force Mode, activate," commanded Subtract. "Force Command – Gravity Denial."

Subtract began to float with a slightly visible force-field beneath his feet. He quickly dashed to the top floor of the airship, scanning it with his Operators to find the command room. Before he could spot it, a bullet was fired at him but missed. Narrowing his eyes, he spotted Black Crow Snipers and Bellows Machine Guns aiming at him.

"Force Command – Motion Blocker!"

With the shield up, he blocked all of the bullets and descended slowly onto the airship's floor. He was surrounded by Black Crow members in an instant.

"A battle situation can't be avoided, huh? Oh well, that doesn't matter," said Subtract.

"Get off this ship, you outsider, or we'll attack!" said one of the crew members.

"No can fucking do. It looks like I have no choice but to eliminate you all since I could just have my Operators hack the central controls. Operator, Weaponised Form, activate!" responded Subtract. His clothes were instantly replaced with a black coat with blue outlines. Bands of holographic numbers floated around him, repeating the numbers, 0 and 1, endlessly.

Subtract held out his right hand and commanded, "Weapon Command – Negation Blade."

The bands of holographic numbers started to combine into one, forming into dark blade. The crew could feel its intense aura radiating in a profuse manner. In preparation for the fight, Subtract summoned a metallic glove on his right hand.

"I'll eradicate you fools so come on and attack, you little shits."

**A/N: And that's le end to another chapter owo! Please review/favourite/follow/share, it'll be much appreciated!**

**And thanks to Arashi Gin and MKDynaBlade for adding this fanfic to his/her follow~!**

**Replies to the reviews =w=~**

**MKDynaBlade: My dear reader, your question will be answered in due time. owo b**

**Syra: He's very durable. Some people just refuse to die, the essence of survival =w= b**

**Kaito Hiroyuki: I'm happy you like this fanfic *^* b And let's just say...Subtract has a lot of toys to use at his command. LuCiel, hmmm, who knows...(input cliché: even I don't know)...eue**


	7. Beacon of Dread

**Warnin': This following chapter will contain gore.**

First one to attack was a Black Crow Gladiator who swung his big sword heavily at Subtract. He parried the attack forcefully strong to his right and sliced through the gladiator while his step was off. Blood sprayed all over the grey floor, some spilling on the crew members.

Like an alarm setting off, other gladiators charged at Subtract. Using the metallic glove, he grabbed the blades of the oncoming gladiators and stabbed at the flesh underneath the blue fabric. One would strike at him from behind, which he ducked and spun around. His sword met the flesh of an engineer, or the bullet from a sniper.

He didn't stay on self-defence as he dashed through the corpses of his foes, swinging at the snipers who continuously rained bullets on him. He instinctively dodged through the gaps of the oncoming bullets and sliced at the snipers' throats. It only took one simple sword motion at the neck, for there to be a shower of carnage.

When he single-handingly took down all the snipers, the gladiators who had caught up continued their swinging barrage. An engineer had tried to trip him, but he stomped at the measly figure and pierced his sword into its head. The crack of its skull could be heard. His sword never seemed to get stuck in flesh as the blade itself rejected all matter.

Another gladiator came charging in so Subtract lowered himself a little, forcing the hilt of his sword into the gladiator's stomach. He grabbed the head of the dazed gladiator and threw him into the crowd of attackers. Without a single break, a Black Crow Commander came lunging his sword down at him. Dodging the initial attack, Subtract sliced at the commander who quickly blocked it with his blade. Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Subtract whirled behind the commander and cleaved him in half.

The battle of gore reigned on with innards pooling itself onto the floor. Subtract was completely covered in blood and was almost unrecognisable under all the guts and blood on him. Most of the crew had been taken down, but the machine guns were starting to cause him trouble.

A few surviving engineers took over the bellow machine guns, aiming it at their single enemy. Since the barrels could only aim up and down, dodging them was way too easy. He stabbed into the gaps of the turrets, causing them to malfunction and explode. The explosion of the turrets took down the remaining engineers in a flash.

Aside from the oncoming gladiators, the Nasod Healers were becoming an annoyance. As they kept healing the near-dead crew members, it gave Subtract more work to deal with. He took some of them down since the others were already starting to flee from the scene of the gore. Soon all crew members had been met with a grisly death, leaving only a few healers to be floating away.

"Oi, don't you be running away from me," said Subtract as he sliced them down. Leaving one alive, he grabbed it and smashed it into the wall. It still functioned, but couldn't move. "Interesting properties, you'll serve me well."

He took some parts from the healer and implanted them into one of his Operators. Subtract didn't finish the battle without a few injuries on his flesh. Stray bullets had nicked him, blades had met his flesh when he wasn't paying attention and bruises appeared from the frenetic charges of the gladiators.

After adding healing properties to one of his Operators, he had it heal his battle wounds as he searched for the airship's control center. His left eye, which was paler still, made a small beeping noise. He looked around with his left eye that had detected the central control he was looking for.

The control central room was a mess of controls all over the place with resting chairs in the corners and leftover cigarette butts left smoking. It was as if they were waiting for their upholder, who would never return in its short life time.

Getting to work immediately, Subtract had his Operators hack the controls and installed the directions to Feita. The airship controls whirred as they began to switch on, making the airship shift as it rose up from the ground.

"These bloodstains are beginning to get a little bothersome. Operator, clean it up," ordered Subtract. The Operator with the healing properties flied towards Subtract, summoning a circling device that cleaned his clothes. It went back to work when it finished.

Subtract gave one look outside and then suddenly felt a pang of pain inside his chest. He hissed at the sensation and sat down on one of the resting chairs, sweating slightly. With one hand, he grasped onto his chest where his heart was.

"Already deteriorating from that one fight? I have to hurry, then, I'm not going to…last much longer," muttered Subtract.

"Airship has arrived at destination: Feita," announced the airship. Subtract stood up from the chair and pulled out his Screen Map. The Data Trace led to somewhere far in Feita, but it was still moving.

"The distance seems convenient enough, maybe I should start up a little beacon as early greetings," pondered Subtract, grinning. "Operator, set off the Ignition System and cease control."

The Operators beeped in recognition, setting off an alarm. Subtract hastily exited the airship and made a considerable amount of distance between the airship and him.

In an instant, the overheating cores of the airship began to ignite and burn. The airship exploded fiercely strong as Subtract continued through the forest with his back to the explosion.

"I'm coming for you, brother," he said in a sing-song voice.

Somewhere in the distance, a white-haired teenager felt a shiver run down his back. He temporarily stopped walking alongside another white-haired girl.

"What is it, Add?" she asked. The Elparty had stopped, staring back at the white-haired individual.

"Keh, nothing."

**A/N: Another end to the chapter~! Please, review/favourite/follow/share~! **

**I'd like to thank FumeKnight for adding this fanfic to his/her follow! ouo b**

**Replies to le reviews owo~**

**SuzukaMizuchi: Nup~! There will be romance later on-but I'll leave it at that =w=. By the way the last sentence made me laugh (finally Add has a stalker XD). *Pulls out a fake beard and strokes it mysteriously* "Alas, the stalker must be stalked."-/shot.**

**FriFriFurretbell: Thank you for your kind words~!**


	8. To Remain Alive

Subtract made his way through the dark forest to encounter a camp site. Spotting the nearest soldier, he went to talk to him.

"Hey…" started Subtract, but he was met with a sword's point inches to his face. The soldier had turned around and unsheathed his sword instinctively at the intruder. "That's quite rude to do, don't you think?"

"Soldier, put down your sword. I don't think this person is an enemy," commanded someone. Subtract saw a knight walking towards the soldier and him.

"Sorry, Sir Lento," apologised the soldier as he lowered his sword, sheathing it. The knight named, Lento, approached Subtract.

"I apologise for my soldier's rude actions. I'm Lento, who are you?" asked Lento.

"I'm Subtract," he answered.

"What brings you here to Feita? It's not really safe here because of the Demon Invasion."

"Demon Invasion? I see. I can take care of myself pretty well, so you don't have to worry. Do you know this person?"

Subtract pulled up a picture of Add, which Lento seemed to recognise.

"That's…Add. Why are you looking for this person?"

"He's my older brother that I had been separated from. I'm trying to find him and I last heard that he came here to Feita. Do you know where he might've gone?"

"I'm not completely sure since the last time we saw him was a while ago, but he might be heading for Velder. He was following Elsword and the others for some reason."

"Elsword?"

"He's an exceptionally skilled swordsman who saved Feita from being overtaken by Demons with his friends. I believe your brother was watching over them."

"At least, he's alive and well. So, is Velder where he might be? Where can I catch a ride there?"

"A ride? All the roads have been blocked so the only way to get there is by foot. Even the way there is quite dangerous as there are remnants of the demons around. As of right now, the shortest route is blocked by a Demon General."

"I'll take the short route, where is it?"

"It's really dangerous! There are other safer routes that you can take."

"I don't have enough time for 'another' route. Please, I need a means of hurrying."

Lento sighed and pointed, "If you take the east road, you'll meet a fork in the road. Take the left road and enter Dead Man's Hill through Pilgrim's site. I warn you, though, it is quite dangerous and glitter demons frequent it. We can spare some food and water for your journey, if you want."

"I'll accept the offer then."

Lento nodded and walked away to organise supplies for the new visitor. Subtract looked around for a moment and spotted a small camp where a family was sitting outside. He first saw a small child clinging to its mother as she cuddled her child lovingly. The child's father sat beside his wife, smiling at the child who giggled.

Subtract felt a painful ache within his heart as he watched. He narrowed his eyes in response and looked at his chest.

"What…is this feeling? I don't recognise it, but it really hurts. Is it because…" said Subtract, raising his head. He watched the happy family once more and then shook his head. "No, my Nasod heart is breaking down physically along with my health. That must be what the pain is."

Subtract waited near the end of the camp site, sending his Operators to scan the 'Site' Lento mentioned. He had one Operator to perform medical scans on his Nasod heart. The Operator had opened up to reveal smaller parts where each parts were engineered for medical purposes. The new healing properties from the Healers helped upgrade it. Each of his Operators had different purposes, but had similar ones to change his "Modes".

"Scan: Complete, Result: Nasod heart is undergoing high stress while gradually overheating, Current status: Deteriorating and will not last longer than two weeks, Recommendation: No maintenance or repair available, cannot repair severe state."

"Less than two weeks, huh…I don't think I can make it back to Henir in time. No matter, I can just perform Occasional Stasis. Operator, check out the reliability of Occasional Stasis."

"Reliability of Occasional Stasis, checked. Result: Is not a reliable option. Will only prolong life only by one day. Consequences: Increases chance of heart attack and ceased functionality of heart. Chances of death will be increased. Do you wish to use Occasional Stasis?"

Subtract paused for a moment before replying, "Activate it immediately."

"Command confirmed."

Blue light temporarily flickered within Subtract's chest before fading. He turned around when he heard footsteps.

"Subtract, here's your supplies. They'll only last you three days, but it should be more than enough for your journey," said Lento as he handed Subtract a backpack. "Be careful out there. The Demon General isn't the smartest, but he is highly destructive."

"I understand. I'm leaving now," responded Subtract emotionlessly.

Entering the Pilgrim's Site, Subtract could instantly spot a tall building to his left. It towered ominously high with an aura of danger. His Operators returned with multiple scans of enemies ahead, all of them hostile and many in numbers.

"Activate, Weaponised Mode," commanded Subtract. His clothes were replaced by a black coat and he set out on the Site's path. He encountered the demons sooner than expected who carried spears, bows, shields and battle hammers.

"Weapon Command: Hyper Artillery."

A gun with multiple barrels formed in the air with the holographic numbers coding its creation. Subtract's fingers wrapped around it as it physically formed, prepped for battle. The glitter demons spotted him and started charging at him whilst the archers stayed behind on platforms.

Subtract aimed at them first and shot them down. He quickly materialised his metallic glove on his right hand again. The glitter demons surrounded him, baring their fangs. He sighed, gripping his gun and closed his eyes. When the first of the demons attacked, his eyes flicked open and he shot at the nearest demons.

A spear was aimed at him, but he jumped up with the attacker in sight. He shot the spear man and landed on him. Taking note of the two spear men coming from behind, supported by defenders, he blinked behind the defenders and shot them down. The two spear men were confused, searching for Subtract who placed the barrel of his gun on them.

"Say hello to death for me, will you?" whispered Subtract as he shot both of them instantly.

"Increase barrel numbers to five, change settings to homing."

Five barrels formed on his gun. Subtract shot at the demons behind him, hitting five targets effectively. A defender was charging towards him, catching him slightly off guard. He blinked at the last second behind the defender, shooting a bullet through its head. The head of the defender exploded into pieces with brain matter splattering on Subtract's hair.

Throughout the battle as Subtract continued to manoeuvre his way forward. With the entrance to Dead Man's Hill in sight, he emptied a bullet from the gun and threw it at the demons. It instantly exploded, taking out most of the front side of the demon horde. The smoke from the explosion prevented them from seeing in front of them, halting their advancement. Even though, they never would go past the gate as something else awaited their lone enemy.

Subtract hopped over the black gate into the forbidding area of Dead Man's Hill. It was completely void of light and life as its pathways were littered with dead weeds and plant life. Glitter zombies walked around aimlessly who didn't seem to notice Subtract's presence. The Demon General Lento mentioned hadn't appeared yet so Subtract proceeded onwards, although cautiously.

He knew something rather big was coming and switched his Weapon to Negation Blade.

Before he could react, a strong force smacked into Subtract's back and threw him straight into a wall. A raspy growl could be heard as Subtract raised his head to meet a gigantic glitter. Subtract's left eye flickered in annoyance, observing the glitter demon.

"Heha…you won't…hehe…pass through my watch, weak mortal," it said.

"We'll see about that," said Subtract, standing up. He flashed towards the General and went straight for his heart. The General blocked his initial attack with his gigantic arm. The sword had lodged into the flesh of the demon, causing him to yell in pain. He quickly grabbed Subtract and repeatedly whacked him into a wall.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Bater is hurt!" cried the glitter.

Subtract tched, gritting his teeth in impatience as he sliced through Bater's fingers. Demonic blood splattered onto the floor as Bater's detached fingers rolled on the ground.

Bater's eyes glowed red as he let out a poisonous breath at Subtract.

"Warning: breath is considered poisonous. Please, avoid at all cost."

Subtract jumped backwards and dashed behind Bater, slashing at his behind. Bater fell to the ground, but quickly retaliated by chomping at Subtract. He wasn't able to fully dodge the retaliation as Bater's fangs tore at Subtract's clothes.

Subtract summoned small flash bangs and threw them at Bater, blinding the demon for a couple moments. He jumped above Bater's head and pierced his sword into the demon's head. Fountains of blood poured from the wound, covering Subtract in more carnage.

His healing Operator immediately began to heal Subtract, cleaning the liquid off of his clothes as it reverted back to normal.

"Some Demon General, wasn't even worth my time," commented Subtract. "How many aggressive weaklings must I tow down to get to that bastard? How annoying. Weaklings like these can't survive in this world and should be obliterated by their stupidity. If they can't even shed off their weaknesses, they won't be able to survive like me."

**A/N: Another le end to le chapter~! Thanks for reading ouo b~! Please review/favourite/follow/share if you liked this chapter~~~**

**Late thanks to APHLync13 who added this fanfic to his/her favourites! owo *bows***

**Replying to the review~**

**FriFriFurretball: I'll try to describe how his attacks, but I won't make it too descriptive =w=~. Thanks for le comment. Everybody's got to have a fear or something they don't want to see. Anyone, even the strongest ones.**

**If you readers have noticed, the chapters' names have changed a little. I hope it won't make things confusing? QAQ**

**I also noticed that we've reached over 1,000 views! :D Thank you so much! *gives 1,000+viewers cookies of any flavour***


	9. A Certain Someone

Subtract watched the lifeless corpse of Bater for a moment, checking for any movements. Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched squeak behind him. Turning around, he saw a purple-weird looking creature with an oversized seed pocket attached to its head.

Before he could react, the yellow seed pocket exploded and sent Subtract down a steep slope. He tumbled down dangerously fast as he tried to grip onto anything to stop his tumble. Eventually finding a stuck-out branch, he grabbed onto it and was inches away from the ground. He coughed, feeling bile rising in his throat.

"Warning: you have now been poisoned as a result from the previous attack. It is recommended that you rest and hydrate yourself right away."

Subtract let go off the branch, falling to the ground. His coughed turned more violent as he propped himself against a rock. His vision was blurry and his consciousness was slowly fading. The backpack Lento gave him couldn't be found anywhere so Subtract concluded that it might've been blown somewhere else.

He picked himself up and walked along the slope's bottom, hoping to find any indication of a pathway. The poison in his body started to disappear, but the need for hydration didn't go away.

"Operator, scan the area for any water source…" groaned Subtract. He started vomiting on the floor with his healing Operator behind him, exerting a healing force. When he was done, the Operator cleaned him up. "Pull up the Screen Map, I need to see where I am."

With the map up, he saw that he was pretty far from Velder and clicked his tongue in annoyance. The map didn't contain any specific detail of the area he was in so he couldn't really depend on it. As if things couldn't get any worse, he heard several growling noises near him.

"Are you shitting me? More weaklings? I don't have time for this bullcrap," spat Subtract as he started running. He knew he was in no condition to be able to run fast, but he had no choice. The poison in his body hadn't completely disappeared and the condition of his heart wasn't helping. Usually, he'd be riding on his Operator but they were off scanning the area. He hastily called them back as the growling noises got closer.

After what seemed like hours, Subtract couldn't hear the growling anymore and he stopped. The map showed that he was nearing Velder, which seemed to shed a light on his situation. The Data Trace was in Velder, too. Smiling, he continued riding his Operator and found a crossroad with sign poles.

He wasn't the only one there as there was a hooded person staring worriedly at the signs. It appeared to Subtract that she was lost.

"Just where is Velder's Village? I really have to hurry…" she groaned. Subtract looked at his Screen Map where a location point called, "Velder's Village" was. It was a little far from the Data Trace so the rational choice was, not to help the lost girl.

Closing the Screen Map, Subtract approached the girl and tapped her shoulder. She jolted and turned around to reveal two rose pink eyes. Subtract was slightly surprised at the colour of her eyes. It was a gentle and kind colour, which was the complete opposite of Subtract's cold dark blue eyes.

"Uh…are you're searching for Velder's Village?" asked Subtract.

"Yep, I'm trying to get there, but there doesn't seem to be directions on the signs…" she replied, mumbling a little. What she said was true, there wasn't any directions leading to the village on the signs.

"I know the way there so I can guide you there," said Subtract.

"Oh, no, I don't want to trouble you," responded the girl.

"It's no trouble. I'm heading there anyway, so I might as well help you," lied Subtract.

"I see, then guide me there," said the girl. "I'm Apple, you?"

"I'm Subtract," he answered. "Let's get going, then."

As they both walked together, they both remained silent without anything to talk about. Subtract, though, was mentally slapping himself for his choice. Why am I helping this girl? It's only going to get me further away from my goal.

"So, Subtract, why are you heading to Velder?" she asked.

"I'm searching for someone, what about you?" he responded.

"Hmm~I'm searching for someone, too!" she answered. "Coincedence, huh? We're both searching for someone."

She smiled at Subtract.

"Y-yeah," he replied. "Anyways, we've arrived at the village."

Apple turned her attention to the sight in front of her, seein g the village. She then turned to Subtract and bowed politely.

"Thank you for guiding me here, Subtract."

"No worries," he replied. She smiled at him one last time before hurrying off. Subtract let out a sigh and pulled up the Screen Map again. His eyes widened considerably when he saw that the Data Trace was very close by. A wide grin spreaded out on his face like a Chelsea grin. The signal had led to a nearby town area. Whilst the signal was getting significantly further away, he recognised its pattern.

"Looks like it won't take less than a week to get to him," said Subtract. His Operators buzzed at their master's excitement, emitting small amounts of electricity.

He looked at the sky which was darkening immensely. He took one last look at the Map, seeing that it was moving onto an important-looking place.

Looking for a secure place, he pulled up his personal computer and inputted in several codes. An unmade tent was summoned and the Operators went to set it up. When it was set up, Subtract entered the tent and laid down against the bed.

The night sky looked alit with a fiery and dark aura.

"The Trace won't move too much by tomorrow," said Subtract. "Looks like I'll be able to meet him very soon…it's already been two days since I arrived here. I hadn't noticed. Hmph, no matter. Today was filled with pointless interactions and a weird girl."

Subtract sat up momentarily, frowning.

"Speaking of that girl, she didn't seem to be entirely human…some sort of electricity signal? Similar to a Nasods, if not more."

He laid down again, closing his eyes.

"Oh well, if I make it back to Henir, I might search up her Time file."

**A/N: And that's le end of le chapter~! Thank you for reading, and if you liked this chapter/fanfic so far, please review/favourite/follow/share!**

**Replying to the review owo:**

**SuzukaMizuchi: (Slightly spoiler) Subby won't be travelling much further. =w= In the next couple chapters, might his stalkin' come to an endin'~! **

**And thank you to Dragonbron356 for following this fanfic~!**


	10. Sadist's Programming

**WARNING: This chapter is long, over 1900 words! *faints***

When Subtract woke up, he tasted something metallic in his mouth. Confused, he sat up and spat whatever was in his mouth. Red. His Operator glowed slightly, letting him see the splatter of his own blood on his clothes. He felt weak with his breathing becoming impaired and irregular. He could feel his own heart slowing down.

His healing Operator reacted immediately to the sight of blood, exerting its healing force onto its master.

"Are you fucking failing me now? You can't, you can't, you can't…you can't do that," gasped Subtract angrily. "Not until I kill him, you can't. You can't fail on me now…fuck, fuck, fuck!"

His eyes started to close gradually. His healing Operator wasn't even helping.

"T-Time Mode…Activate!" commanded Subtract. The floor beneath him seemed to quake a little as turquoise glowing cracks spreaded out from beneath Subtract. His surroundings began to distort and slow down. Everything was enveloped in a sound vacuum momentarily as the space around Subtract's tent became twisted before warping back into shape. Subtract's appearance changed gradually as his hair turned white. His eyes started to turn into a bright yellow and his sclera black. A dark blue mask appeared on his face, though very faint and unstable.

* * *

><p>"Hoh…so he's used it. How very hasty of him. Now that he's used it, he won't be able to restrain his own insanity," said Glaive as he watched Subtract from a Screen. "Keke…not that that would've made a difference. It's already too late."<p>

* * *

><p>"Time Command – Time Alchemy." A glowing orb of dark blue appeared before him and he grabbed it, thrusting it into his chest. It entered his chest, leaving a clock mark on it. With a turning motion in the air with his hands, he said, "Reversed Time."<p>

The hand of the clock spun backwards, fading away as it did. Time Mode was dispersed immediately.

"Operator, Diagnosis."

"Operator has diagnosed your heart condition. Result: Reversed Time has rewinded Heart's time by one day and a half. Occasional Stasis is still in work. Reversed Time has not lessened chance of sudden heart failure."

"Huuuuuh? Is that it? Kahaha…well, as if that matters. It just means I'll have to hurry up, right, Operator?"

He laughed for a couple seconds before covering his mouth, trying to suppress it. Standing up, he left the tent which was automatically set to refold itself. The Operators stored the tent and returned to their master's side.

"Operator, pull up the Screen Map, will you?"

The Map showed the Data Trace entering a forest-like area. It wasn't far off, too. Infact, it was even closer than yesterday. The fact that Subtract's desired reunion was coming close made him giggle.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping your innards out one by one! It seems that there are other people travelling with you? No matter, I'm only aiming to kill you and you only!" sang Subtract. He hopped onto his Operators and dashed forwards. He placed one hand onto his head, hearing numerous voices chiming in. All the suppressed emotions were bursting at the seams and he couldn't control them any longer.

_"Time to kill. Time to destroy. Time to eradicate. No time to waste. Have to kill, have to kill, have to kill! Won't rest. Won't stop. Won't go back. Have fun! Enjoy it all! The pooling mess of blood and guts, have to hurry! Won't stop. Won't stop. Time to kill, have to kill, time to destroy, won't rest! Why…why…kahaha…kill him, kill him, kiiilll him~~~!"_

Subtract arrived near where the Data Trace was located. The forest seemed to be one of the open types, having big open areas.

"How generous of you, how generous. I'll kill you here then, a nice place to die. Nicer than the place you left me for sure."

He continued to follow the Data Trace signal, encountering nothing but trees. Just as he was about to check his Map , he heard several voices behind him. Without hesitation, he jumped into a bush and crouched down.

He peeked through the bush, seeing two people walking side by side. They both carried swords and were talking about Velder.

"Velder is still not in good condition, huh…" said one, a red-headed boy.

"Don't worry, little Els, you guys are definitely strong enough. I'm proud of you," said the other, a red-headed girl.

"I'm not worrying, sis," replied the boy.

Subtract realised who the red-head boy was from the Screen Glaive had watched from. He concluded that Add had ceased stalking the group and joined them. His left eye flickered at the thought. If he was to face Add, he'd have to separate the group somehow.

"Operator, scan the area in Cloaked Mode," commanded Subtract. His Operators turned invisible and spread out in the area.

"Now, now, where's the others? Hm?" muttered Subtract. He used his left eye to scan the area behind the two. There were no heat signatures behind them in the immediate vicinity, but he could spot a lot more far behind them.

The Operators returned, showing results on a Screen Map. It revealed the rest of the group. Recordings of the same people from Glaive's screen, but they were all older. When he looked back at the red-headed boy, he was indeed much older.

"That's where they are, huh? They're pretty spread out from my target…kuhuhu…time for some small entertainment to get the party rolling," he said. He covered his eye momentarily with his hand before revealing his left eye. Instead of being the pale version, it showed the robotic version of itself.

His left eye began to analyse the brain wave patterns of the two.

"Let's give the first two guests a good show," cackled Subtract before commanding, "Nasod Command – Cruel Deception."

The boy reacted instantaneously, frantically looking around. In his eyes and ears, he could hear the screams of people they knew.

The boy started running first, calling out names, "Aisha…guys, what's wrong?! Where are you?! Hold on, I'm coming to save you!"

To him, his friends were being ambushed by demons and were getting mortally wounded at this moment.

Next was the girl who stared at the spot the boy was. She just stared before falling to her knees, grasping nothing but air.

"No…no, this can't be. Els?" she stuttered. Tears started falling from her eyes. To her, the boy from earlier got headshotted by a demon's arrow and was dead in her arms. She glared at a random direction, growling, "You! I'm going to kill you!"

Spotting the imaginary demon, she ran towards the random direction.

"Cruel Deception is perfect indeed. She doesn't even notice that her brother ran past her, alive and kicking," said Subtract in an amused voice.

"Activate, Force Mode," he ordered. "Force Command – Hostile Invisibility."

In an instant, Subtract turned invisible and went towards where the "others" were. The second pair he encountered was a black-haired person with a Nasod arm and a female archer with long ears.

"Them next, huh? A little dash of anger and despair shall spice things up!" laughed Subtract. After he had casted Cruel Deception on them, the reaction was a little slower than the first two. Leaving the two to drown in their own hallcuinations.

One saw a familiar figure with blonde hair, a noble who betrayed his friend and took everything away from him.

The other saw her own homeworld collapsing with everyone she knew screaming in misery and agony.

To Subtract's now broken mind, the screams of despair and anger were music to his ears. All suppression of bloodlust had completely disappeared. Just a hungry desire for vengeance.

"Onto the next one! A magician and an exorcist, hmm? It's not everyday that you get to see a possessed hairpin, also. It seemed to sense me also," observed Subtract. "I have to be quick before it tells its user."

"Calibrating Cruel Deception, attaching Stasis mode and correcting properties for magical use."

His left eye beeped, indicating the swift completion of the command. Without further ado, Cruel Deception was employed onto the two targets. The fox hairpin on one of the girl's hair bolted a little, its white shine dulling slightly as its wearer stared in front of her. Vision of a long lost sibling stood metres away from her, smiling slightly. He was almost hidden behind the trees and without further confirmation, the girl chased after her with tears in her eyes.

The magician saw a glimmer in the forest. Her eyes widening upon recognising what it really was. A golden ring with a purple amethyst attached to it, the same ring that stole all her powers. Someone was holding it in their hand.

"You! Give me that ring! It stole all my magic, I have to get it back!" yelled the magician as she went chasing after the cloaked figure.

"Hmm, the magician was quite disappointing. Kaka, what a simple girl," commented Subtract. "Now, let's see. That should be all of them, except for one."

There was one girl she saw near Add, who seemed slightly familiar. The Core on her head resembled a Nasod's to him, then he realised.

"Wait, she was in one of Glaive's Time files! Hmm, so she's the Queen of Nasods…the Nasods that were one of the primary reasons those wars started. Not like it matters now," said Subtract. "Now, according to the Operator's recent scan, she is a bit further away from the target. How convenient, how fucking perfect this is."

Subtract pulled up his Screen Map, seeing that Add was very close by. He started laughing until droplets of blood spouted from his mouth. He just grinned and continued laughing.

"Oh, well. Looks like I'll die very soon. I might as well go out with a bang, right? It won't fucking matter if it kills me faster as long as I can do what I came here for," he said. "Operator, Nasod Mode, activate."

His Operators beeped in acknowledgement and surrounded him. They summoned a black field around him, enveloping him until he couldn't be seen. The field slowly turned into a glass solid, which gradually dissolved to reveal dark blue platings. It glowed with a black aura as it gleamed with a malevolent shine. Hissing could be heard as the platings firmly attached itself to its wearer, fumes flowing out into the air. Fluorescent lightings were built into the armour, emitting a dark blue colour. His fingers were covered in claw-like metal, sharp to the touch. The fading glassy fog lifted slowly to reveal the headgear Subtract had. The entire headgear was covered in black with two lights signifying the eyes, a bright turquoise glow. Two streams of the same light went down to the bottom of the chin, giving the appearance of tears. As if the armour was crying itself.

With finishing touches, few white lines decorated the armour along with the headgear.

"Khaha…perfect. Nasod Command – Energetic Concord: Destruction Channel," he commanded. His armour lights flashed before returning to its dark colour. Two guns appeared in his hands. "This Channel always feels right…to destroy my enemies with my two Annex: Annihilations."

With the guns in hand, he closed in on the area where Add was. Straight ahead was the one person he sought to kill. Someone who left him behind to die, to be tortured and to be abandoned. Not even those eight years spent under Glaive's care were merciful. Ultimately, Subtract's own life was just a Sadist's Programming.

**A/N: And that's an end to this long chapter - ~! Thank you for reading, please review/favourite/follow/share! TT^TT I praise those that were able to read this long chapter *gives cookie***

**And thank you to Retisu for adding this fanfic to his/her follow~! owo, you rock!**


	11. Proelium

**A/N: The chapter everyone's been waiting for~! Enjoy!**

Subtract pulled up his gun, aiming it in front of him. Seeing Add ahead, he stayed in the shadows for a warning sniper shot. He used his left eye to zoom in and aim.

"Distance: 25 yards, Direction: 11 o'clock, Wind: None, Humidity: 30%, Acceptable targeting error: 6.35 milimetres, Warning shot: Loaded," said Subtract as he pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed through the air at an inhumane speed, barely missing Add's head by less than an inch.

Not wasting time with the warning shot, Subtract walked out of the shadows.

"Did that scare you? Well, long time no see, isn't it?" greeted Subtract, smiling within his headgear.

"Who are you? Are you challenging me to a fight?" asked Add who then grinned.

"To a fight? Haha…no, you're wrong," said Subtract. He pointed his gun at Add. "I'm challenging you to a fight to the death."

Subtract fired two shots as distraction, whilst turning his gun into blades. Add had deflected the bullets with his dynamos, unfazed by the distraction. He quickly charged up an electrical bullet and shot it, "Particle Shot!"

Subtract quickly blocked the bullet with his arm and swung his blade downwards on Add. Another deflect lead to the beginning of furious blows. Subtract's left eye was analysing the attack pattern of Add, making it easier for him to take the advantage.

"Dissolver!" Add's dynamos fired five electrical shots at Subtract, dazing him for one moment.

"Kaka, you're not turning the tide here! Roundabout Slicer!" yelled Subtract. His Nasod Armour enhanced his speed drastically, letting him spin around. The blades had created a mini-blade tornado, a small moment of invincibility.

"Then, how about this?! Quicksilver Accel!" A ball of spinning plasma appeared in his hand and pulled Subtract. With a dynamic force, he was pulled back and forth. The ball of plasma exploded instantaneously, stunning Subtract.

"Magnetron!" Three spinning disks surrounded Add, powering his hits. This combo didn't damage Subtract as his Armour protected him from most of the attacks, but he was already starting to get slightly tired. His Nasod Heart had begun to slow down.

Subtract switched to his gun, leaving his left gun as a longer blade. He distanced himself from Add by firing a few electrical shots before reloading his gun. He fired the gun at Add again, which was about to be deflected. In the last second, Add dodged the bullet and let it hit a tree behind him.

The bullet shot through the tree, blasting through the trunks. Several trees fell as a result.

"Nice dodge," commented Subtract. "But you won't be dodging for long. Annex, switch to Gatling Mode!"

Subtract's guns changed shape, its barrel contained numerous hive-shaped barrels within. He started shooting at Add who mostly dodged them, unable to get close. He quickly ducked into a cluster of trees.

_Hmm? Is he planning an attack?_ thought Subtract. He could see a dark purple glow behind the trees, his left eye reading a high electricity frequency.

"Nasod Command – Energetic Concord: Defensive Channel!" commanded Subtract. His Annex: Annihilations disappeared as steams of white light lined against his arms and legs. "Motion Blocker, Dome!"

A hexagonal shield surrounded Subtract in an instant, giving off a dark blue glow. A total of twelve electrical bullets shot out of the cluster, homing in on him. The bullets were blocked by the shield. Subtract let down the shield and threw invisible bombs into the trees, "Air Explosion!"

The bombs instantly exploded upon impact, destroying the cluster of trees where the attack came from. There was no reaction from the area. No screams, or agonised sounds. Just the sound of silence. The exploded area was covered in ash, which could've meant that Add was dead.

There wasn't a single feel of satisfaction, but suspicion. Subtract looked around him, searching for any signs of movement. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound around him. He could hear the rustling of trees from all sides, making it harder for him to focus.

So he focused on the sound waves, looking for any weird frequencies. _Normal wind goes at 10mph, wind is estimated to be approximately 12mph. Wind is travelling east, slight disturbance in the east, rustling is off by 0.05%, meaning…_

Subtract pulled up a shield to his east. He heard something hit his shield and opened his eyes. His shield was slightly damaged.

"Keke, not bad! You're not a bad opponent!"

Subtract's eyes widened as he quickly turned around, just to be hit by an electrical force. Add had appeared behind him and caught him in a combo loop, not letting Subtract recover or escape.

"Particle Accel!"

Subtract could hear something charge up before a strong blast hit against him, stunning him. He was caught in another combo. Enough of this…

Subtract's right eye turned yellow and time began to slow down around him for a moment.

_Operator Point Mode._

"OP Mode, activate!"

Swirling blue energy surrounded Subtract, giving off a spatial impulse. The armour glowed darkly, radiating time energy. Add had been pushed back by the spatial impulse slightly, but he had distanced himself cautiously.

Subtract moved his right hand behind him, "Operator Support System." (OSS)

His six Operators had reappeared behind him, covered in blue energy. They opened up to reveal barrels, already charging up and ready for assault.

Without a single word, Subtract charged at Add and threw a punch. The punch itself hit a forcefield, releasing a black spear. Add had dodged to the right and attempted to jump at the opening.

"Naïve, too naïve," commented Subtract. A forcefield had appeared to his right and a black spear ejected from it, stabbing at Add. He barely managed to dodged as the spear pierced his side.

"Ghk!" Add was pushed back by the impact.

"Hammer Sentry!" yelled Subtract. He summoned a large hammer head from a forcefield, pulling it down towards Add who barely managed to block it. The hammer head became heavier as if gravity itself was pushing it down. Spikes like fangs began to protrude downwards, strengthening its impact.

"Tch, you're persistent," growled Subtract. The Operators began to make a humming noise and shot at Add, spreading out towards the side. Subtract heard anguished yelling from beneath the hammer, but the hammer itself wasn't falling any further. He knew that the hammer wouldn't last forever and he could feel something dangerous was coming.

As soon as Subtract's hammer disappeared, he raised up a barrier as something electrocuted the air. A flash of powerful electrical energy could be seen before it became more visible. Subtract's eyes widened to see that none of his attacks did much damage. Layers of purple electricity, which could only be described as armour, had enveloped Add.

"So you had an ace up your sleeve, huh? That won't make a difference!" said Subtract.

Add just laughed before replying, "Won't make a difference, huh? We'll just have to see, won't we?!"

Before Subtract could react, Add blinked behind Subtract. _He's faster?_ Subtract's right eye turned yellow once more, slowing the time around him. He managed to turn around to block Add's punch as time returned to normal. Add began to punch again and again, his Dynamos enforcing his attacks. Black energy started to pour out of his hits, becoming more continuous. Even if Subtract tried to jump out, Add would just punch him down again.

"Kehe, how interesting, but you're missing the point!" yelled out Subtract. He was enjoying this battle as he smiled widely from ear to ear.

"Deadly Adaptation!" commanded Subtract as the specs in his armour changed. It had attuned to the electrical element of Add's attack, increasing its defence dramatically. He interrupted Add's combo with the adaptation and quickly summoned two black spears on his hands. He charged at Add, each impact enforced by the support of his Operators.

His own attacks ceased for a moment as he coughed out blood. The wet fluid splattered onto the visor of his headgear. A robotic voice could be faintly heard in pieces, "Nasod Heart…ill begin to shut down…four minutes."

_Four more minutes, huh? Khaha…what a challenge!_

"What's this? Getting distracted? Only weaklings do that!" sneered Add as summoned a dark purple drone behind him. It had three protruding fangs that surrounded a bright light. "Shooting Chaser!"

Four drones appeared and targeted Subtract, shooting red lasers in a continuous fashion. As Subtract tried to fight back, the drones wouldn't stop attacking. In return, his OSS began to target the drones and shot at them. His movements had become slower and he had noticed. Blood wasn't being passed through his body fast enough for him to react quickly.

_I'm not dying yet! I have to kill him now! Before, it's time…_

He coughed more blood and this time, his eyesight became blurry.

"…Heart…shut down…three minutes…failure to pump blood…two minutes."

He felt himself fall. Is this it? _How fucking humiliating…what a shitty way to die._ He expected there to be another blow to end his life, but nothing came. Instead, he heard a familiar voice calling out.

"Wait, Add! Don't kill him!" The voice belonged to someone he had met. He could see blurry colours of pink and realised that it belonged to Apple.

"Less than thirty sec…failure imminent."

He felt a gush of air enter his headgear, but couldn't feel anything else. His own body refused to move, his eyesight remained blurry and the slow thudding of his heart echoed in his ears.

The last thing he saw and heard were two purple-red eyes and, "Subtract? Is that you?"

Subtract's own consciousness faded into nothingness.

**A/N: And that's the end to Chapter 11! The battle between Subtract and Add has ended~! If you liked this chapter, review/favourite/follow/share~!**

**And thanks to Skyyblue001 and STARdini for adding this fanfiction to his/her follow~! O uo b**

**Replying to the reviews~  
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**SuzukaMizuchi - There goes your delicious fish (of any kind)! And yep...OP.**

**tricksterflame - Thanks for the review! Hope you liked this chapter~!**

**FriFriFurretball - owo b And, no worries~**


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